KFWE has been around in NYC since 2007, and it keeps evolving. The Los Angeles version was initially called the International Food and Wine Festival (IFWF). It started in 2008. Neither of the KFWEs (NYC/NJ or LA) is the oldest kosher wine-tasting event; that would be the now-defunct Gotham Kosher Wine Extravaganza. Sadly, they stopped hosting those tastings; such is life. Their first one ran from 2004 to 2014. In 2015, the first year that the IFWF became the West Coast KFWE, David Whittemore and the gang from Herzog Winery pulled out all the stops and created what I still think was the best KFWE, with the first-ever VIP session, which was copied in almost every KFWE version, and hey, “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.” I was sad to see the L.A. KFWE move from the Petersen Automotive Museum, where it had been for three years, in 2016, 2017, and 2018. However, the 2019 and 2020 KFWE L.A. at the Palladium were freaking EPIC. Then we had COVID and no in-person events for 2021, though the innovative approach with those bottles, while flawed, was a hit. Today, Herzog is sending their club members a better version of those tiny bottles, which looks really cool! Followed by a KFWE – Jr in NJ, which I reviewed here. Then, the whole gamut of KFWE in 2023 is also reviewed here. The 2024 KFWE turned into a different beast; you can see my comments here.

As I have pounded on and on in these virtual pages, we need more wine education, and the wine education leader, IMHO, is also the kosher wine 800-pound guerilla, Royal Wines. Recently, I quickly checked my mind of the top kosher wineries or kosher wine runs worldwide, and Royal probably imports about 85% of them. Sure, there are tons of wineries they do not import, but they are also not wines I mainly buy and covet. It is just a fascinating fact, in my opinion. It is somewhat scary but also very telling. Here is a wine distributor and importer that gets what sells and what does not, has successfully found the better options out there, and keeps adding more.

Remember, once again, KFWE will be open to the wine trade ONLY in the USA. KFWE in London and Miami are the only ones open to the public. KWD will return in 2026 for their third run, but links are not yet available. I will add them to this post as they become available. KFWE LA is NOT returning this year, sadly.

Overall, I think Florida needs more from Royal. The Wizo event is run by Wizo for the benefit of Wizo, and it is a worthy cause, indeed! However, I think Royal Wines should ensure more winemakers from their wineries participate in this event. Florida is becoming too large a buying public and is only growing! Given this is the ONLY publicly accessible KFWE in the USA, the event can be improved. To start, have a short trade event two hours earlier. This will enhance winery representation, benefiting both the trade and the public. It needs better food options and a bit more marketing punch by Royal. Then, we are looking at a killer event and a winning opportunity for Royal Wines.

2026 KFWE – Kosher Food and Wine Experience (KFWE)

Two years ago, I initially had serious doubts about the changes surrounding the Kosher Food and Wine Event (KFWE). Gone was the public access to KFWE. Throw in the fact that there was no European KFWE (London) in 2024, nor a Tel Aviv option, and I thought this was a bad idea.

Fast-forward to 2025, and I rewrote my thoughts regarding the 2024 Wine Tasting events. I still think the lack of a 2024 KFWE in Europe (London/Paris) or Tel Aviv was a mistake, and thankfully, that has been rectified this year, at least for London. As of this moment, London KFWE is open to the public, but we have no word yet on Tel Aviv.

When I first wrote this last year, I was worried about the lack of public access to wine education. Miami continues to excel, as it is open to the public, but at the same time, we have always had issues with the KFWE in the USA. The KFWE has always been very crowded, and the public was not allowed to appreciate the wines. As I wrote in my closing thoughts on wine tastings, this new approach may work well. It will depend on whether more events like KWD step up to fill the gap. For now, KWD is the only kosher wine tasting open to the public in 2026, and that was not the idea! Thankfully, this year’s timing is MUCH better than last year’s. First, we are not facing a Sunday Super Bowl; they finally decided to look at the NFL schedule. Also, as there is no KFWE in LA, wineries will be able to fully make both events (KWD and KFWE) and still promote wines in the NY/NJ area. This would have been the PERFECT year for the return of the Jewish Link Kosher Wine Festival. Sadly, that’s not in the cards this year either! So, we are looking at diminished public access and limited wine education opportunities. Which makes no sense when the VERY THING that the millennial and Gen Z need more than anything at a time like this, is more wine education!

Sadly, the KFWE London/Europe event needs to be a week later due to Wine Paris, a massive event that wineries all need to attend.

KFWE LA

It makes sense that KFWE is not coming to LA again, like last year. I posted this in the KFWE in Review write-up and my post about the KFWE LA VIP 2024 event. KFWE in Los Angeles seems less valuable to Royal than it used to be. Fewer people are buying Royal’s wines in Los Angeles and California as a whole. Instead, they are buying more of Herzog’s wines.

Last week, Herzog Wine Cellars held a small event at the winery to kick off the new vintages, and the wines all showed well while also showcasing the wonderful food from the Tierra Sur restaurant. The event was a hit, and I will post more about this soon.

Cross distributor tastings

From what I hear, the Jewish Link Grand Wine Tasting will not occur this year, once again, which is a loss for everyone. This leaves us with just ONE Cross-distributor wine event: the aforementioned KWD.

My feeling is, great, let’s see if the lack of public access to KFWE spawns the return of good, basic, but also profitable wine events in 2024! It is about time that we get back to these cross-distributor wine events! As stated above, the OG wine event was Gotham Wine’s event, and you can look back over time (there we go again) and read how those events went. I am unsure if they were profitable for Gotham, but I know the events helped them sell wines.

The only cross-distributor event that I know of is the KWD event, but again, at the time os publishing this post, I have no official date, time, or link. I will update this post when they become available.

Israel and elsewhere

Besides the royal wine events – AKA KFWE there are events in Israel, namely the Sommelier, which is the only wine event in Israel to publicize Israel’s diverse wine culture.

Israel wines may be going off the deep end, in terms of date juice and all, but Sommelier continues to do an excellent job of continuously focusing on Israel and its potential in the wine world. Bravo to them! The dates are January 12th and 13th, 2026. Tickets or registration are available here.

Notwithstanding all the suffering occurring in Israel, it is incredible that the event continues on. We all pray that things should improve quickly for our brothers and sisters in Israel!

I hear the KFWE Tel Aviv may take place, but as of now, there is no concrete date.

Europe

There is also the Bokobsa event in Paris, which I went to in 2020. It is NOT officially part of the KFWE family, but Royal wines are represented there, as are other wineries that Bokobsa imports into France. They had one in 2022 and 2025, so my guess is the next one will be in 2027.

Royal Wine imports many Bokobsa wines into the USA. Still, Bokobsa itself makes kosher wines (like the fantastic 2007 and 2012 Sancerre Chavignol, the lovely 2017/2018/2019 Fume Blanc, the unimported 2017 Pascal Bouchard Chablis, Premier Cru, and the lovely L’Indiscrete Sancerre.

As stated, the KFWE London/Europe event is on; it will occur on February 17th, 2026. Tickets will be available online.

I do not know the status of the other show in the UK, called the Kosher Wine Show. I will add links below.

The crazy Trip I know someone will take!

Given that these dates are scattered, there is no crazy flight this year. If you live in Europe or on the East Coast, you can make a couple of flights, whether connected or not, and enjoy a nice stay in Israel.

Kosher wine-tasting events this season – in chronological order:

Name: KFWE Miami
When: December 10th, 2025
Time: 7:30 PM to 10:30 PM (6:30 PM VIP access)
Where: Fontainebleau Miami Beach, 33140
4441 Collins Ave, Miami Beach, FL 33140
Link to sign up or for more information: http://www.kosherfoodandwinemiami.com/

Name: Sommelier
When: Jan 12th & 13th, 2026
Time: 11:30 AM to 5 PM Trade and 6:00 PM to 9:30 PM Public
Where: Heichal HaTarbut, Huberman St 1, Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel
Link to more information: http://www.sommelier.co.il/sommelier/

Name: KWD Wine Night
When: Monday, February 2nd, 2026
Time: VIP 6:00 PM, General Admission 7:00 PM – 10:00 PM EST 
Where: Kingsway Jewish Center (2810 Nostrand Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11229)
Link to signup: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/kwd/1976607
Coupon Code: None yet
Link for more information: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/kwd/1976607

Name: KFWE NYC
When: Tuesday, February 3rd, 2026
Time: 4:30 PM – 8:30 PM EST (TRADE only)
Where: World of Blue Hotel (formerly the Park Hotel @ Meadowlands Hilton)
Two Meadowlands Plaza, East Rutherford, NJ 07073
Link to signup: 
Link for more information: https://kfwe.com

Name: KFWE London
When: Tuesday, February 17th, 2026
Time: Trade/Early Access 2:30 to 5:30 PM, General Access 6:30 to 9:30 PM
Where: Sheraton Grand London Park Lane, London
Link to sign up or for more information: https://www.kfwelondon.com/

Name: The Kosher Wine Show
When:
Time: 6:00 to 10:00 PM
Where: Meridian Grand, Advent Way, London N18 3AF, United Kingdom
Link to sign up or for more information: https://thekosherwineshow.co.uk/

Name: KFWE Tel Aviv
When: TBA
Time: TBA
Where: TBA